On Sunday night, I did not study as much as I wanted to and did not get in bed as early as I wanted to because some guests stopped by. Normally this is not a big deal; however, I had scheduled myself to sit for a Cisco Certification test on Monday morning. So I was already off to a bad start.
I woke up Monday morning early and began some last minute studying. I felt great. Unfortunately, I turned on the wrong stove burner and began to melt a plastic salt shaker. When I tried to take the salt shaker off the burner, the bottom melted off and salt went everywhere.
So here I am vacuuming my kitchen at 6:15 a.m. on a Monday morning, two hours away from taking a major test (which costs $150 whether I pass or fail). And while I vacuumed, I did my best not to let this event affect my mood. My brain wanted to say that this was a bad omen, but I wouldn't hear it. I had to pass.
When I let the dogs out, I realized that it would be cold, gray, and rainy all day. Of course it would; why wouldn't it be my least favorite type of weather on such an important day, right? I almost started to believe that there was a divine conspiracy against me, but I am too rational for that. Ahem.
It is 7:30 am: The test starts in 1 hour, but I need to leave in 20 minutes. I am shaved, showered, cologned, creamed--this test is turning me into a metro-sexual this morning. My strategy is to look good and feel good. Therefore, I add a tie to my ensemble for Monday. Ties are rare on me, but today I want to feel professional and intelligent. Man, do I feel good. Nothing can stop me now.
It is 7:45 am and I am ready to go. I am dressed and looking great. I have my coat, my paperwork, my laptop bag, my wallet...I cannot find my keys. Now, this is something that has happened many times in my house: me looking for my car keys. However, it hasn't happened in a long time. Since I began treating my ADD, I have tended to lose items less often; I am more organized and efficient now.
Now it is 7:55 am. I should be driving through rain and traffic to get to my $150 test, but I have the whole family crawling around the house trying to figure out what stupid place I chose to lose my keys on. I am trying not to panic. I am trying not to snap at the ones whom I love. I am close to cursing God. I am on the verge of an stroke. I finally find my keys on my workbench in the garage. I sorta remember putting them there, but I can not remember why.
No, I'm not making this up. This all happened yesterday.
So now I am driving through rain and traffic in a hurry for my test; you know, the one that costs $150 and affects my career. I almost rear-end someone. Someone else is driving at 20 mph in a 35 mph zone....grrrr!
I get to the testing center, find the restroom, find the sign-in desk, and get seated at the testing computer. I am ready. My head is screwed on straight and all systems are "go". The first question (out of 42) is the most complex question I have ever faced. In one question, I have to chose several network elements, select proper cabling, deduce an addressing scheme based on known parameters, and then configure several devices based on what I know of the rest of the network. I need to do math, order my steps, try not to miss anything, and save my work on each device. Holy shnikes!
I know how to do everything in this question, but the math does not come easy for me and I have this nagging feeling that I am going to forget something. The test is timed, and I take a long time to answer this one. I am concerned that the rest of the test is going to be like this: harder than I was prepared for.
I finish number one and click next. The second question is a softball. I knock it over the fence and click next. Most of the test is a softball. There are two more complex questions that eat up time and heat up my brain, but most of the test is exactly what I was prepared for.
After I answer question # 42, I find that there isn't a "Next" button. There is only a button to "End Exam". I am surprised to be finished; I thought I was taking too long and here I am with 30 minutes left on the clock and I am done.
Clicking the "End Exam" button is the moment of truth; you find out immediately if you passed or not. I have been here twice before; both times I clicked the button and found out I missed the passing score my only a few points. This time, I have a Pavlovian-learned fear about clicking the button. Even so, I did my best and I feel good about my performance. I can't go back, so I click "End Exam".
I passed. I beat the odds, subverted the conspiracy, kept my wits, checked my negativity, and I passed. Damn it felt good.
That is one of two exams I need to pass for the CCNA designation. I will probably schedule the second exam for next Monday, unless something comes up. It just feels great to be halfway there, now.
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